Whether you speak or write, connecting the dots for your foreign audience is crucial if you want to reach them and make an impact. Three simple steps can help you do that.
Connecting the Dots Reveals the Picture
Connecting the dots is about understanding the relationships between facts or events, so you can fully grasp the situation.
It’s just like the activity book game you may know from your childhood. You have a piece of paper with numbered dots. If you connect them in the right order, you will reveal a picture.
It’s similar in communication. You can share valuable facts (the dots). However, if important connections between them are missing from your audience’s point of view, they won’t see the picture. They’ll be confused and unable to make sense of what they hear or read.
Maybe some of you will feel that way about the following story. It is based on a recent conversation I had with a client.
Quitting Time in Miami
Mark had been working at his current employer, a logistics company in Miami, for nearly a year. He didn’t enjoy his job. It wasn’t the people. His boss was okay, and he got along well with his colleagues. But he found his job too repetitive and not creative enough. Sitting at his desk, answering emails and phone calls was getting more and more unbearable for him.
Mark had been spending his evenings looking for a new position – and finally received an exciting offer from a marketing agency. His new employer wanted him to start right away – and he couldn’t wait to do so.
When he got to the office the next morning, a Thursday, he asked to speak to Sabrina, his manager. Mark didn’t waste any time and said, “Sabrina, thank you for giving me the opportunity to work here. I have learned a lot, but it’s just not the right job for me. I have found another position, and they want me to start this coming Monday. I can still come in tomorrow, Friday, to wrap things up and then hand in my laptop and keys by the end of day.”
Sabrina was a bit surprised. Deep down, she also felt slightly irritated. Now she would have to scramble to find a replacement – what a hassle. She thought that Mark could have given her a bit more time, but there was nothing she could do. It was obvious that he had made up his mind. She said, “Mark, I’m so sorry to hear that you’ll be leaving us, but I wish you all the best. Thank you for your offer to come in tomorrow, but I think it’s best if we wrap things up today. Take a bit of time to clear your desk. In the meantime, I’ll draw up the termination letter for you to sign. I will also need your laptop, all your passwords, and your keys.”
Two hours later, Mark walked out of the office. He was looking forward to a long weekend before starting his new adventure on Monday.
Does this story raise questions for you? How can Mark just quit without giving notice? Isn’t there a mandatory notice period? How can Sabrina just accept his resignation on the spot?
So let me connect the dots for you: Florida is an “at-will” employment state. "At-will" means that both employer and employee can terminate the employment at any time and for any reason, as long as it is not illegal (for example, it doesn’t violate anti-discrimination laws).
There was nothing irregular about the way Mark quit and Sabrina accepted his resignation. Even though people frequently stick to a one- or two-week notice period, and it's considered the right thing to do by many, it's optional. As a result, resignations and terminations can happen pretty fast in Florida, especially in today's fast paced world.
The background information about “at-will” employment is essential for you to connect the dots and understand the situation.
Culture: A Frequent Culprit
In cross-cultural communication, culture is often the culprit of misunderstandings, the reason why someone cannot connect the dots. The conversation partners live in different worlds. They have different backgrounds and experiences.
Just take the story above. A reader from Florida would be able to draw on the same cultural background and find nothing strange about it. Someone from a different culture is left confused.
In cross-cultural interactions, we fail to connect the dots for others when:
We are unaware of cultural differences and, unknowingly, leave out essential information.
We assume our audience knows more than they actually do.
We assume common ground and believe that other people have the same interests, priorities, goals, etc. as we do.
We make cultural references our audience can’t relate to.
We use language or humor our listeners or readers can’t understand.
We base what we do and say on our own cultural norms.
Why Is it Important to Help Others Connect the Dots?
It’s all about impact and effect.
To make an impact and achieve a desired outcome, people must understand what you’re telling them. You must give them information that is coherent and complete from their point of view. If you fail to do that, your message will be misunderstood. It will not deliver the intended impact nor have the desired effect.
Three Steps to Help Connect the Dots
Here are three simple steps to make your cross-cultural communication clearer:
1. Add Clarification:
Know your own culture, know your counterpart’s culture, and understand the differences between them that can cause misunderstandings. Adjust your communication accordingly. Add clarification and context critical for the other person to connect the dots.
This is particularly important in one-sided communications, such as emails, pitches, or speeches. When your audience cannot interrupt to ask for clarification on the spot, it is vital that you craft messages that are complete and clear from their perspective.
2. Provide Structure:
A good structure will help your audience connect the dots. Consider the order in which you present information. Is my content well organized? Does it have logical flow? Is the order of information convincing?
Remember the puzzle activity: The complete picture will only be revealed if you connect the dots in the right order.
3. Reduce complexity:
Maintain simplicity throughout: words, sentences, and ideas. Complicated language is hard to process. People will tune out and not even try to connect the dots. There is plenty of research that shows that simplicity is the key to clear and effective communication.
Don’t leave your audience behind. Make it easy for them to hear and follow you. Connect the dots.
Do you want to become a communicator who makes an impact and achieves results in English? Do you want to learn strategies to connect the dots for American audiences? Contact me for a free 30-minute consultation. I look forward to speaking with you.
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